


Lottery Winner

by lemmin



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Death, F/M, Fire, Gen, Nipton (Fallout)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 08:25:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15770307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemmin/pseuds/lemmin
Summary: Courier arrives earlier than expected. Starts a good old fashion debate.—I kept courier nameless since most people like to project their courier's or themselves. Goes by 6 in this piece





	Lottery Winner

When you stumble out of your own grave, usually some time is needed to recover. But here the Courier sat, on the plush sofa across from Doc Mitchell. Doc was surprised himself, he'd seen people bounce back from the devil's den, but never in just 12 hours. If that Courier was anything, it was resilient. Doc walked the girl to the door. 

"Well, this is the stuff you had with you. I had to do some digging to find your name, hope you don't mind. Sunny Smiles should be down at the saloon, she can show you the ropes." The Courier shook her head. 

"I've been alive awhile, I can handle myself." Doc shook his head. 

"Well, if you're sure you can." 

 

The Courier made her way south of Primm with ED-E buzzing away behind her. She didn't know how she managed to fix him, but she was glad she did. The Bison Steve Hotel was crawling with convicts. She had been to the Mojave Outpost and talked to Ranger Ghost. Courier had never heard of Nipton, but Ghost told her it was a good town to get supplies. 

Other than a few gang members along the way, she got there without any relative problems. She'd only been in town for only 10 minutes before a few strange men arrived. Why were they wearing dogs on their heads? A piece of paper was forced into her hand, the heat of the strange man sticking to her. 

One man, she could only assume was in charge, stood in the steps of the town. He had his shoulders high with confidence, his eyes hidden away. 

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Today we will be having a lottery." Courier could pick up on his tone, this was more than winning some caps. She looked down at her own ticket then turned to ED-E.

"I have a bad feeling about this, buddy." Dog hat man held a bag, pulling out a slip of paper and called a number. A man raised his hand. 

"Mayor Steyn, how wonderful. You are the first lucky loser." With that, the dog headed men around him pulled him up the town hall steps and shoved onto a small pile of tires. Without so much as the blink of an eye, he was covered in gasoline and lit. His dusty brown suit burned dark red, his voice rang off the town hall's steps. Everyone in the street stayed silent, watching a man die. 

The Courier was shocked. Surely this wasn't the norm in the Mojave was it? The leader of the dog heads stick his hand bag and called another number, again someone raised a hand. Tires, gasoline, fire. The air smelled sour. 

Then as he called another number, he signalled to his men. In less than a minute a cross was up and the woman placed on it. She would be left there in the sun. Courier noticed how few were left; her and 5 others stood in front of the dog heads. When the next number was called a man was pulled towards the men and his hands tied together. 

Courier's hand rested comfortably on her weapon. She and ED-E wouldn't be taken by these weird men. 

 

Only three were left: Courier herself and two tall men in blue jackets. Looks like a powder gang uniform. A number was called, but not hers. 

"Congratulations everyone, we now have a winner." The air was tense, before the dog head chuckled. "This means you get to live." 

The man started cheering. It was annoying. Not waiting for another ticket to be called, he ran out of the town, yelling the whole way. 

Another number was called, but still not her's. The other man in the powder gang jacket smirked. "Well he won, what do I get? My knee caps busted in?" The dog head man cocked his head back, thinking. 

"Actually, that sounds much better than what I had planned." The men grabbed him, using sticks and fists to beat his legs. He yelled loud, you'd be surprised if they didn't hear him at the Mojave Outpost. He laid in a bloody pulp on the ground, his legs bent in 1 too many ways. "Alerio, would you move him to the General store? I'd hate for our runner up to get a sunburn." 

Two men carried the runner up to a store just a few feet away. The leader of the gang looked down at the Courier. 

"I know who you are. Word travels fast in the Mojave. Do they still call you the Courier?" 

Courier cleared some sand out of her throat before speaking. "I hate to say but a bullet to the brain gives you a different name. Just call me 6." 

"6. Of course. Congratulations on winning the Nipton lottery." 

Courier's head tilted in confusion. "I'm pretty sure you said yourself the other guy won. From what I can tell I'm either suppose to be dead or a slave." 

Dog head man shook his head. "Sorry for the confusion dear 6. I'll allow two winners, just for you." 

Courier crossed her arms over her chest, smirking. "And what do I win?"

"Maybe a question? Keeping the memory of this wretched town? Ask for it Courier, you'll get it." 

6 didn't need much more convincing. "Who are you guys? And what's your name?" 

 

"I am Vulpes Inculta, the greatest Frumentarii of Caesar's Legion." 6 knew of them, most people west of the Capital did. To think someone of such high status was in front of her was throwing her beaten brain for a loop. 

"So this is what you do when you're not running errands for Caesar?" She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, more out of nervousness than discomfort. 

Vulpes chuckled at her. "My devotion to Caesar is more than running errands, I've made an example of this town. This town was filled with nothing more than disloyalty and greed." 

With a sudden burst of confeidnce, 6 interjected, "Do you really think it's the Legion's place to be the moral philosophers in the Mojave?" 

"Careful with your tongue dear Courier. If any woman in Legion talked back with as much fire as you, they'd be lashed to a cross." Vulpes was clearly taken aback, 6 was on her toes. 

"Well, good thing I'm not in the Legion." The air remained tense a few beats after this, the two debating parties simple staring at each other. The other Frumentarri visibly tensed, ready for any unaccounted move from the Courier. 

Vulpes finally spoke. "You have quite the tongue, 6." her name dripped with poison from his mouth. "If it was my doing, it'd be removed. Terribly sorry for keeping you, but my men and eye must be on our way." With this Vulpes guards and slaves walked, or were dragged away from the town. Courier watched until she could no longer see their shadows. As tempted as she was to follow, she had some horrible news to bring Ranger Ghost.


End file.
